Please note that page numbers are not accurate for the e-book edition.
Aarhus, Denmark, 17, 163, 191
AARP, 42
Abiendi, Claudio, 185
Abrego, Alberto, 105
Abrego, Manuela, 105–6
accordion families, xxii; downside of, 141–48; history of, 37–39; intergenerational ties with, 166–67; location of, 41–45; nostalgia for, 33–34; parental perspectives on adulthood in, 13–17; reflecting a general experience of social change, 83–84; relationship between low fertility rates and, 177. See also adult children living at home
accordion families, adjustment in: autonomy and, 147–48; with autonomy of adult child, 143–44; desire for freedom and privacy, 144– 46; in Japan, 81–82, 83; money and, 146; sexual mores and, 77–78; in the U.S., 82–83, 143
accordion families, attitudes toward: in Denmark, 165–66, 172–74; Italian government and, 103–4; by Italian parents, 98, 100–102; by Italian youth, 102–3; in Italy, 97–102, 123–24; in Japan, 82–83, 84–88, 93–97, 123; in Nordic countries, 102; political history and, 108–10; reflecting fundamental aspects of society, 83– 84; in Spain, 104–10, 124; by Spanish millenials, 110–14; in the U.S., 114– 20, 124–25
accordion families, benefits of: adult child’s need for parents, 136–38; in American families, 65–69; financial, 121–22, 133–36, 199–200; for Italian parents, 98–99; for Italian youth, 69–71; making parents feel younger, 131–32; for parent-child relations, 114, 128, 130–31, 132–33, 197; socialization across generations, 138–39; in Spanish families, 114
accordion families, reasons for: affluence in Japan, 91–93; aging population, 58–61; attitudes toward accordion families and, 114–15; cultural values, changes in, 53–55; delayed marriage, 57–58; economic downturn, 38–39; education-related patterns of residence, 51–52; employment expectations, 55–56; family income/wealth and, 52–53; globalization, 40, 45–49; government assistance and, 40–41; housing market, 49–51; parental influences, 95–96; personal character, 95–96; physiological, 23; recessions, 42–43; reflecting structural conditions and cultural values, 44; relationship between structural and cultural, 44–45; standards of living expectations, 56; student housing and, 51–52; women in the workforce, 37–38
“active labor-market policy,” 156
adolescence: coming-of-age rituals in, 207n1; elongation of, 17, 35; as a life stage, 210n11; parent-child relationship, 227n6
adult children living at home: among blue-collar working-class families, xvii–xviii; baby-boom parents on, 15–16; destigmatizing, 21–28; generational differences in, 34–35; and helping out and, 64, 70, 72–73; increase in, 38–39; in Italy, ix–xi, 7; in Japan, xii, 1–3, 29–30; Japanese parents on, 28–31; media response to, xviii–xix, 96; public debate over, in Spain, 39; in Scandinavian countries, 40; in Spain, 25, 27, 110–12, 113; in the U.S., xvi–xvii, 114–22. See also headings under accordion families; in-house adulthood
adult children living at home, statistics on: in Europe, 41; gender differences, 144; in the U.S., 37, 42, 43, 134, 216n8
adult children living independently. See residential independence
adulthood, markers of: age, 2, 12, 19, 20; caring about others and the outside world, 211n18; caring for community, 22; class differences and, 208–9n5; employment, 2, 14, 18, 20, 30; marriage, 2, 6, 8, 13–14, 20, 208nn4–5; parenthood, 2, 6, 13, 208n5; responsibility, 14, 20, 21
adulthood, path to: of baby-boom generation, 15–17; coming-of-age rituals, 207n1; intergenerational differences in Spain, 24–27; in Japan, 1–3; leisurely pace toward, 11–12; marriage and parenthood as markers to, 208nn4–5; money as issue in, 17–21; national surveys on, 208n4; in Nordic countries, 17–21; self-actualization and, 13–14; in Spain, 12–13; status transitions vs. psychological perspective of, 5; in the U.S., 3–5, 9–10, 11
adulthood, understanding of, 13– 14; by American parent, 21– 22; by American youth, 5, 9, 12–13; by Danish youth, 18, 19–20; by Europeans vs. Americans, 13; by Italian youth, 6, 8; by Japanese youth, 2–3; by Spanish youth, 12, 13; as a state of mind, 5; by Swedish youth, 20–21
affluence: burdens for caregivers in accordion families with, 141; correlation between child’s residence and, 53, 63; role in Japanese accordion families, 91–93; self-actualization and, 14. See also middle-class families
African Americans, 46, 115, 134
African immigrants, 185
age: of baby boomers as grandparents, 129; of child bearing among immigrants, 176; of first marriage, 57, 153, 212n24, 225n81; of first sexual intercourse, 212n24; importance of, in Japan, 139; as marker of adulthood, 2, 12, 19, 20; of parent with first birth, 233
Age of Parasite Singles, The (Yamada), 96
Akiba, Japan, xi–xii
alcohol use, driving and, 234–235n15
All in the Family (TV show), xviii
All Our Kin (Stack), 63
Amagar, Copenhagen, 171
American accordion families: adjustments made for, 64–68; parental adjustments in, 143; pleasures and benefits in, 68–69; political choices related to, 200, 202; positive role of, 199–200; statistics, 37, 42, 43, 134, 216n8; trend of, 38–39
American Association of Retired Persons, 42
“American Dream,” 50, 213n28
American parents: attitude toward accordion families, 116, 117–20; on delayed adulthood, 31–34; “empty nests” of, 38; sexual mores, 225–26n1; understanding of adulthood by, 13–14, 21–22. See also baby-boomer parents; baby-boom generation
American youth: benefits of living at home for, 65–69; case of entitlement in, 11–12; path to adulthood, 3–5, 9–10, 11; sense of entitlement in, 11; understanding of adulthood, 5, 9, 12–13
anti-immigration sentiment, 179–89
Arizona, anti-immigrant sentiment in, 179–80
Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen, 23
Asian parents, 33
Asia Times, 11
assimilation, immigrant, 183, 185–86, 187, 201, 213–14n30
Astore, Stefano, 192
asylum-seekers, 184, 186
Athens, riots in (2010), 196
attitudes toward accordion families. See accordion families, attitudes toward
Austria, 51, 180, 240n22
autonomy: balancing closeness to parent with, 67; impact on parent-adult relationships, 161–62; of Italian youth, 6; parent-child, 147–48; parents not allowing, 73–74; prioritizing or sacrificing, 44, 122. See also independence
Azarian, Kate, 9–10, 21–22
baby-boomer parents: being cared for by their children, 201–2; compared with postwar parents, 127; delaying aging, 129–30, 131–32; delaying grandparenthood, 129, 130, 139–41; relationships with their parents, 130–31; retirement savings and, 148–50; social changes experienced by, 150–51
baby-boom generation: compared with millennials, 63–64; compared with postwar parents, 128–29; cultural connection with millennial generation, 128; economic growth during youth of, 44; on intergenerational differences in Spain, 23–28; older vs. younger, xx– xxi; on path to adulthood, 15–16. See also baby-boomer parents
banlieu, 191
bar/bat mitzvah, 207n1
Belgium, 51
Belova, Vladimir, 201–2
Berlusconi, Silvio, x birth-control pill, 64–65, 226–27n4
birth dearth, 61; causes of, 54–55, 177; expenses of childrearing and, 176–77; immigrant births and, 176; in Japan, 175; pension problem and, 178–80. See also fertility rates
blue-collar working-class families, xvii– xviii. See also working-class families
“boomerang” adults, xxi, 42, 115
brain development, 23
Bra, Italy, ix
Brunetta, Renato, x
budget cuts, European government, 180, 195–96
Bulgaria, 178
Calatrava, Agata, 25–26
Caldwell, Christopher, 184, 186
Caldwell, Lisa, 3–5
Campos, Julia, 111–12
career: genders converging on importance of, 4–5
caregiving work, 214n2, 215n3
Cherlin, Andrew, 169–70
child allowances, 154, 158, 239n14
child bearing: average age for first birth, 233; delaying or not choosing, 178; among immigrants, 176; in Italy, 231– 32n25; out-of-wedlock, 159–60, 170. See also birth dearth; fertility rates; parenthood
China, 156; parenting in, 213n29
Clark University, 23
class differences: in entering parenthood, 210–11n13; housing options for youth and, 52–53; markers of adulthood and, 208–9n5; self-actualization and, 14. See also middle-class families; working-class families
cohabitation. See premarital cohabitation
Cohen, Peter, 121–22
college education. See higher education
college tuition. See higher-education costs
coming of age. See adulthood, path to
coming-of-age rituals, 207n1
community, caring for, 22
Conlon, Caroline, 66–67, 118
Conlon, Ed, 118, 148–49
Conlon, Jane, 66–68, 118–19, 148–49
consumption norms, 55–56
contingent workers, xx Cook, Thomas, 156, 158
Copenhagen, 18–19, 40
counterculture, of baby-boom generation, xx–xxi
“cult of mammismo,” x
cultural norms, xxi–xxii; on intimate relations before marriage, 64–65; out-of-wedlock child bearing and, 170; wedding customs and, 169
cultural values: changes in, 53–55; expectations of employment, 55–56; expectations of living standards, 56; fertility rates and, 54–55; marriage and, 57–58; relationship between structural forces and, 44–45; in Southern vs. Northern Europe, 54
culture(s): of baby-boom generation, xx–xxi; conflict with Muslim, 184, 185; convergence of generations on tastes, 128; of familism, 124; intergenerational differences/convergences in, 63–64, 128; moral, 83; Nordic families, 162–63, 164–65, 170; reaction to accordion families and, 83–84; of Southern vs. Northern Europe, 163; tensions between native-born and immigrants over, 182
Daily Yomiuri, xiii
daughters/daughters-in-law: care for aging parents, 37, 215n3
Daun, Åke, 184
debt, student loan, 4, 199
Declining Fortunes (Newman), xx
De La Rocca, Cesare, 103
delayed departure. See adult children living at home
demographics: aging society, 58–61; in Japan, 59–60. See also fertility rates; population
Denmark: adult children living independently in, 17–19, 40; attitude toward accordion families in, 165–66, 172–74; fertility rates in, 58; globalization’s impact on, 153–54; housing for youth in, 158–59; immigrants in, 243n21; immigration debate in, 189–92; median age of first marriage in, 225n81; modern family in, 171–72; national debt in, 236n23; out-of-wedlock child bearing in, 160; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of children being supported by parents in, 221n67; ratio of working-age adults to retirees in, 60; residential independence in, 36; social policy supporting youth in, 154; women’s mean age at first birth in, 233; youth on adulthood in, 18, 19. See also Nordic countries
divorce, 94, 229–30n9
divorced parents, 13, 133, 135–36, 143, 163, 187–88
Doctrine of Abusive Dismissal, 48
Donnelly, Tom, 68–69, 74–75
Dowa Mining, xiii Durkheim, Emile, 83–84, 98
Eastern Europe, 173
eating habits, 132
economic inequalities, 202. See also class differences
Economist, 59, 60
economy/economics: aging population and, 60–61; benefits of American accordion families and, 199–200; birth dearth and, 176–77; as factor for accordion families, 35–36, 38–39, 44–45, 91, 196; globalization and, 45–46, 195–96; Japanese, xiii–xv, 123; pension reform and, 180; post– World War II Japanese, 86–87; psychological model of adulthood and, 36; in Spain, 104–6, 108
education: age at completing, in Europe, 51; attitudes toward immigrants and, 191–92; Catholic, 109; differences in European, 51; of immigrants, 200; and impact on residential independence, 51–52; in Spain, 111; in Sweden, 158. See also higher education
Efron, Sonni, 95
elderly: baby-boomer parents caring for, 149; care for aging parents, 37, 38; caregiving arrangements in Japan, 215n3; economic support for retired, 60–61; employment of, 127; favoring of Italy’s, 100; grandparenthood and, 139–41; home ownership by, 50; increase in population, 58–60; in the labor market, 127; long-term care for, in the U.S., 215n6; in Nordic countries, 164; youth having relationships with, 163–64. See also pension system
El Pilar, Spain, 24, 140
employee benefits, in Nordic countries, 154
employees, non-regular, 207n8
employment: of adult children living at home, xi–xii, 1, 4, 9; of American seniors, 127; caregiving work, 214n2; change in concept of a “secure job,” 112–13; changes in expectations from, 55–56; cultural shift in choosing, 55; deterioration of, in Nordic countries, 156–57; global competition in, 45–49; going to immigrants, 180–81; insecurity of, in Nordic countries, 156–57; insecurity of, in Spain, 105–6; job turnover in Japan, 48; lifetime, in Japan, xiii, 96; as marker of adulthood, 2, 14, 18, 20, 30; meaning of not finding, 84; part-time, xiv–xv; structural problems in Japan from, 97. See also unemployment; women in the workforce
“empty nests,” 38
Endo, Natsuki, 29–30, 87, 88
England, 180
entitlement, American youth’s sense of, 11–12
Erikson, Erik, 211n18
Estonia, 178
ethnocentrism, 185–86
Etsuko, Atsushi, 30, 81–82
Eurobarometer, 49, 53, 56
Europe: cultural changes in, 54; influence of parental income on home-leaving in, 221–22n67; marriage in, 57; NEETS (“not in education, employment, or training”) in, 46–47; pension problem in, 178–79, 180; population decline in, 178; response to budget cuts in, 196; understanding of adulthood in, 13. See also Nordic countries; Northern Europe; Southern Europe; individual country names
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 41
Extremadura, Spain, 77–78
Facebook, 128
Failure to Launch (film), 75
family: father absent from, 88–89; Italian youth’s responsibility toward, 14–15; in Japan, 55, 88–90, 229n3; in Nordic countries, 171–74, 198; in Northern vs. Southern Europe, 54, 162, 163; weak connections in, 161–66. See also parent-child relationships
“The Family GP” (Nickelodeon), 128
family income/wealth: as factor in accordion families, 52–53; influence on child’s leaving home, 220–21n64, 221–22n67, 222–23n68; influence on home-leaving, 221–22n67, 222– 23n68; role in Japanese accordion families, 92–93. See also class differences
fathers: absence of, 88–89; of baby-boomer parents, 130; benefits of adult sons living at home for, 132–33. See also parents
Feminine Mystique (Friedan), 89
feminist movement, 37–38
fertility rates: change in cultural values and, 54–55; cultural change and decrease in, 54–55; delayed marriage and, 57–58; impact of, x; in Japan, 59, 175, 208n2; of native-born vs. immigrants, 176, 178; relationship between accordion families and, 177; for selected countries, 58; in the U.S., 178, 200; of U.S. immigrants, 178. See also birth dearth; child bearing
Fifth World Youth Survey, 48
financial aid for higher education, 158
financial benefits of accordion families, 121–22, 133–36, 199–200
financial independence, as sign of adulthood, 21–22
Finland, 36; adult children living independently in, 40; NEETS (“not in education, employment, or training”) in, 47; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of students in 20–29 age group, 18; statistics on 18–34 year olds living at home in, 41. See also Nordic countries
Fiorello, Marco, 8–9, 103
Flash Eurobarometer Youth Survey (2007), 211n16, 221n67
“flexicurity policy,” 156, 198
Flores, Esperanza, 78
Flores, Veronica, 78, 145–46
“folk high school,” 158
foreclosures, xx, 42, 50–51
Fortuyn, Pym, 184
Fourteenth Amendment, 179
France: cohabitation in, 232n28; divorce rates in, 230; education in, 220n53; home ownership in, 50; permanent long-term jobs in, 49; riots in, 180, 191; source of income for youth in, 53; student housing, 51; students living away from home in, 51–52; youth unemployment in, 46
Franco, Francisco, 108
freedom: Japanese parents on, 28–29; of Japanese women, 94–95; in Nordic countries, 171; of parents in accordion families, 144–45; of Spanish youth, 25–26, 28; of youth in accordion families, 68, 70–71. See also autonomy
freeters, xv; as an aberration, 96; dependent on parents’ retirement savings, 149, 197; examples, 1, 29–30, 87; increase in, 47; Japanese parents on, 30, 95–96, 97; Japanese youth on, 55, 97; part-time/temporary work and, 48; relying on parent’s pension benefits, 149, 197; structural vs. cultural changes and, 55
Friedan, Betty, 88–89
Fuentes, Laura, 23–24, 113, 180–82
Fuji Research Institute, xiv
Fujitsu, xiv
Furstenberg, Frank, 156, 158
gangs, 188
GDP (gross domestic product): national debt and (2008), 236n23; spent on pensions, 179; spent on social protection in Sweden, 154
gender differences: in accordion families, statistics on, 144; importance of careers and, 4–5; in independence, 142–43; independence in Spain’s youth and, 24–27; in labor market options, 144; in living at home with parents, 144; parental attitudes towards family formation, 235– 236n21; in wages, 235n19
gender equity, 155
gender roles, 24, 142
General Social Survey (2002), 208n5
generational differences: on adult children living at home, 34–35; in employment options, 48–49; in Japan, 28–31; in Spain, 23–28; in the U.S., 31–34
Germany: anti-immigrant sentiment in, 185–186; divorce rates in, 230; education in, 51, 220n53; fertility rates in, 58; increase in unemployment for youth in, 46; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of students in 20–29 age group in, 18; population decrease in, 178; response to economic reform in, 180; unemployment in, 46
GI Bill, 50
Gini coefficients, 236–37n1
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Larsson), 161
Giudice, Carla, 69–70, 103
Giudice, Giovanna, 70
global competition. See globalization
globalization, xix–xx; college education and, 40; economic impact, 45–46, 195–96; higher education and, 40; impact of, xix–xx, 130, 195; impact on accordion family, 45–49; impact on Nordic countries, 153–54, 156, 184; Nordic countries’ response to, 161
“Golden Cage” phenomenon, 224–25n77
Goodman, Esther, 33–34
government: authoritarian Spanish, 108–9; budget cuts by European, 180, 195–96; as cause of accordion family in Spain, 105–6; expectations of citizens in Nordic countries, 155–56; helping youth live independently, 40–41; immigrant assimilation as job of, 187–88; Italian accordion families and, 103–4; in weak welfare states, 197
government assistance: cash subsidies in Spain, 39; GI Bill, 50; in Nordic countries, 49, 153–56, 198; subsidized rental housing, 49; unemployment and, 49; in weak welfare states, 197. See also social policy; unemployment benefits
grandchildren: age of baby boomers and, 129; decrease in number of, 176; grandparents not wanting to live with, 173
grandparenthood, delaying of, 129, 130, 139–41
grandparents, benefits of socialization from, 138–39
Great Recession (2007-2009), 46, 50–51, 52, 134, 180
Greece, 54, 56, 102; NEETS (“not in education, employment, or training”) in, 47; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of children being supported by parents in, 221n67; percentage of students in 20–29 age group, 18; public-sector employment in, 180
Guyland, (Kimmel), 235n18
Hachioji City, Japan, 88
Hall, G. Stanley, 210n11
Harvard School of Public Health, 9
Harvard University, xvi
helicopter parent, 235n16
Heller, Lily, 77
Helsinki, 40
Higher-education: globalization and, 40; jobs and people without, 180–81; saving money for, 40; student housing and, 51–52, 158–59; in Sweden, 158; wage effects of, 209n8; of women, 209–10n9
higher-education costs: financial aid for, 158; in Great Britain, 195–96; increase in, 220n62; spending retirement savings on, 148–49; and student loan debt in the U.S., 4, 199; in the U.S., 195
hikkimori (shut-ins), 81, 83
Hillerod, Denmark, 165
Hitachi, xiv
home ownership: in Europe, 50; parents helping with purchase of, 210n12; in the U.S., 50–51
Honda, xiii
household responsibilities, of adult children, 64, 70
housing: family wealth and, 52–53; in Nordic countries, 17, 49, 158–59; reliance on owner-occupied, 106–7; of Swedish students, 158–59; in the U.S., 42, 199. See also rental housing; student housing
housing allowances: in European countries, 52; GI Bill, 50; in Nordic countries, 40, 49, 159; in Sweden, 239–40n21
housing costs: as factor for accordion families, 35, 49–51; increase in, growth of accordion families and, 39; in Spain, 27, 49, 106–7, 111, 112; in the U.S., 50–51; for youth in European countries, 49–50
immigrants: African, 185; assimilation of, as role of state, 187–88; birth rates among, 176; as cure for aging population, 61; in Denmark, 243n21; filling in for population loss, 178, 179; in Italy, 176; in Japan, 175; jobs going to, 180–81; needed for labor market, 200–201; in Newton, Massachusetts, xv; parent-child relationships among, 33–34; parents keeping salary of, 115–16; pension problem and, 178–80; relationship between accordion families and, 176; repeal of Fourteenth Amendment and, 179–80; unemployment of, 189–90; U.S. population growth and, 58, 178, 200
immigrants, attitudes toward: education and, 191–92; in Germany, 185–86; in Italy, 185; in Nordic countries, 182– 84, 186–92, 198; in Spain, 180–81, 182, 192; in the U.S., 179–80
income. See wages
independence, xviii; as deviant in Italy, 98–99; gender differences in, 142–43; of Italian adult children, 101; in Japanese families, 91–92; in Spain, 24–27; structural barriers to, xix–xx; valued over emotional ties, 171; valued over material goods, 44; youth evaluating one another based on, 75. See also autonomy; residential independence
India, 45, 156
individualism, 164–65
individuality, in Japan, 3
in-house adulthood: adult romantic relationships and, 75–77; avoiding battles in, 73–74; benefits and pleasures of, 64–71; for middle-class families, 63–64; parents’ boundary rules for, 71–75; for working-class families, 63. See also adult children living at home
in-migration, 61
Ireland, education in, 51
irregular workers, in Japan, xiv–xv
Islam, attack on, 184
Italian parents: attitudes toward accordion family, 98, 100–102; attitude toward adult children living at home, x–xi, xxi, xxii, 123–24; bargaining power of, 100; benefits of accordion families for, 98–99; on grandparenthood, 140; on Italy’s future financial problems, 150; on transition to adulthood, 16–17
Italian youth: attitudes toward accordion families, 102–3; benefits of living at home for, 69–71; working-class, 14–15
Italy: adult children living at home in, ix–xi, xvii; anti-immigrant sentiment in, 185; attitudes toward accordion family in, 97–103; birth rates in, vs. immigrant births, 176; child bearing in, 231–32n25; divorce rates in, 230; fertility rates in, 58; “Golden Cage” phenomenon in, 224–25n77; home ownership in, 50; immigrants in, 176; increase in unemployment for youth in, 46; median age of first marriage in, 225n81; NEETS (“not in education, employment, or training”) in, 47; path to adulthood in, 5–9; percentage of students in 20– 29 age group, 18; political opinion in, 104–5; population decrease in, 178; ratio of working-age adults to retirees in, 60; statistics on adults living at home in, 39, 41; students living away from home in, 52; unemployment in, 46, 217; women’s mean age at first birth in, 233
Japan: adult children living at home in, xii, 1–3, 29–30; affluence in, 91–93; aging population in, 59–60; attitudes toward accordion families in, 82–83, 84–88, 123; attitudes toward premarital sex in, 212n26; average age of marriage in, 153; birth-dearth problem in, 175, 176–77; “Coming of Age” festival in, 1; delayed marriage in, 229n6; destigmatizing delayed adulthood in, 21; divorce rates in, 229–30n9; family relationships in, 55, 81, 229n3; fertility rates in, 58, 175, 208n2; generational differences in, 28–31; hikkimori (shut-ins) in, 81; irregular workers in, xiv–xv; job turnover in, 48; layoffs in, xiii– xiv; lifetime employment in, xiii, xx, 96; marriage in, 57; median age of first marriage in, 225n81; media response to “slackers” in, xviii–xix; national debt in, 236n23; population decrease in, 178; post–World War II, 86–87; premarital cohabitation in, 229n8; ratio of working-age adults to retirees in, 60; reaction to accordion family in, 83; “Retired Husband Syndrome” in, 151; retirement savings in, 149; standard of living expectations in, 56; “stem families” in, 55; unemployment in, xiv, 46, 47, 217; women in the workforce in, 28, 208n2; worries about contemporary society in, 81–82, 84–86; youth generation in, xii–xiii. See also freeters
Japanese accordion families, xii, 1–3, 29–30; antagonisms in, 166; benefits of socialization across generations in, 138–39; indulgence by parents in, 89–92; parental self-blame for, 87; role of affluence in, 92–93
Japanese parents: absent father, 88; on adult children living at home, 28–31; attitude toward adult children living at home, xiii–xiv, xxi–xxii; on freeters, 30, 95–96, 97; overly indulgent, 89–91; receiving blame for deviant youth, 95–96; relationship with adult children, 82
Japanese youth, xii–xiii; on adulthood, 2–3; blame placed on parents by, 95–96; “Coming of Age” festival for, 1; disillusionment with path of their parents, 93–95; on freeters, 55, 97; impact of absent fathers on, 88; work ethic in, xii
Japan Institute of Labour, 55
Jensen, Robert, 17–18, 162–63
Jo, Shigeyuki, 97
Juan Carlos I, 212n22
juvenile gangs, 188
Keegan, Larry, 22, 73
Kiersted, Camitta, 189–90
Kimmel, Michael, 235n18 kodomo ga ikigai, 91
La Repubblica (newspaper), 185
Larsson, Stieg, 161
layoffs, xiii–xiv Legato, Alina, 100–101
Legnaro, Italy, 14 Less to Fathers, More to Children (Rossi), 100
Liberal People’s Party (Sweden), 186
lifetime employment, in Japan, 96, xiii, xx loans, student, 4, 199
London, march in (2010), 196
Lori, Ronit, 121
low-income families: restraining children from living on their own, 53, 63; self-actualization in, 14; weddings and, 169–70. See also class differences
Mack, Bobby, 133
Mack, Gary, 32, 116, 133
Mad Men (TV show), 10, 89, 142
Madrid, 12, 16, 23–24, 27, 106, 107, 110, 112
mammoni (mama’s boys), 99
Manacorda, Marco, 97, 98
Mankell, Henning, 161
Manzo, Amy, 76–77
Mark, Elaine, 34, 118
marriage: average age of first, 57, 153, 212n24, 225n81; delayed, 57–58, 229n6; in Europe, 57; fertility rates and, 57–58; in Italy, 99, 100; Japanese women remaining unmarried and, 95; Japanese youth rejecting path of, 93–95; living with parents while married and, 111–12; as marker of adulthood, 2, 6, 8, 13–14, 20, 208n4, 208n5; median age of first, 225n81; never married in Sweden, 159; Nordic attitudes toward, 167–70; in Nordic countries, 36, 159–60; in Spain, for baby-boom generation, 25–26; in the U.S., 57
Marshall Plan, 86
Mason, Justin, 143
Mason, Samantha, 143
maternity leave, 154
Matsushita, xiii mazakon, 90
McBride, John, 15
media response to adult children living at home, xviii–xix, 96
Media Week, 4
Medicaid, 215n6
Medicare, 215n6
Melandri, Giovanna, 99, 100
men: in Guyland, 235n18; independence of, vs. independence of women, 142–43; Italian, living at home, x, xvii, 7, 97; male bonding and, 234n11; stigma against, for living at home, 227–28n9. See also gender differences
Mexican immigrants, 58, 178, 182
middle-class families: adult children living at home in, xvi–xviii; attitude toward accordion families in, 116–17; dual-career parenthood and, 129; meaning of accordion family in, 196; retirement savings for, 148–49; self-actualization and, 14
millennial generation: American, 120–22; baby-boomer generation vs., 63–64; cocooning and helicoptering, xix; cultural connection with baby-boomer generation, 128; Japanese parents on problems of, 87–88; Northern European, 153; Spanish, 107, 111–14; taking care of their parents, 201–2; views on job quality, 224n76; weddings and, 167–69. See also American youth; Italian youth; Japanese youth; Spanish youth
Miller, Jacob, 131–32
Miller, Jane, 131–32
Mitsui, xiii
money: benefits of adult children living at home and, 133–36; relevance to adulthood, 17–21; as source of friction between generations, 146– 50. See also economy/economics
Montà d’Alba, Italy, 6–7
moral cultures, 83
Morelli, Carlo, 6–7
Moreno, Juan, 24
Moreno, Maria, 24, 140
Moretti, Enrico, 97, 98
Morra, Alesio, 141
Morra, Ricardo, 141–142
Mors, Denmark, 173
Morton, Dan, 72, 121 “mother complex,” 90
mothers: Italian, 130; Japanese youth rejecting path of their, 93–95; overly indulgent Japanese, 89–91; of postwar generation, 128–29; youth not following path of their, 123; youth sharing similar tastes as their, 128. See also parents
motor-vehicle accidents, 234–35n15
Mount Holyoke College, 9
multiculturalism, Nordic countries on, 183, 186
multigenerational households. See accordion families
multigenerational relationships, 163–64
Murcia, Spain, 12
Muslim immigrants, 182, 184, 185–86
national debt, 236n23
NEETS (“not in education, employment, or training”), 46–47
Netherlands: absence of accordion families in, 184; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage students in 20–29 age group, 18; school enrollment in, 51; sexual mores in, 225–26n1; students living away from home in, 51–52. See also Northern Europe
Newman, Katherine, xx
Newton, Massachusetts, families, xv– xvi, 9, 31, 33, 120–21, 131–32, 133, 136, 148–49, 166
New York Times, 185–86
New York Times Magazine, 22
Nickelodeon, 128
Nissan Motor, xiv
non-regular employees, 207n8
nontraditional students, in the U.S., 52
Nordic countries, 41; accordion families in, 36; attitudes toward accordion families in, 102; attitudes toward immigrants in, 182–84, 186–91, 198; attitudes toward marriage in, 167– 70; diminishing job opportunities in, 156–57; effective public safety net in, 198; family relationships in, 161–67, 171–74; financial aid for higher education in, 158; “flexicurity” policy in, 156, 198; globalization and, 156, 161, 184; government assistance to citizens in, 153–56, 198; government expectations of citizens in, 155–56; housing in, 17, 40, 49, 158–59; immigrant assimilation in, 201; immigrants in, 182–84; marriage in, 36, 159–60; path to adulthood in, 17–21; portrayed in fiction, 161; residential independence in, 17–19, 36, 153, 198; subsidized rental housing in, 49; unemployment benefits in, 157; weak family connections in, 161–66; wedding customs in, 167–69; welfare system in, 238n8. See also Denmark; Finland; Norway; Sweden
Northern Europe: education in, 51; government assistance in, 49; Southern Europe vs., 54, 162, 163– 64. See also Netherlands; Nordic countries; United Kingdom
Northern Italy, 8, 14, 69, 101–2, 103
Northern League, 185
Norton, Steve, 69
Norway: adult children living independently in, 40; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of students in 20–29 age group, 18. See also Nordic countries
Nunez, Manuel, 110–11
nursing homes, 38, 215n6
Obama, Barack, 131
Oki Electric Industry, xiv
older generation. See baby-boom generation; elderly
“Operation White Christmas,” 185
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 59, 60
Oslo, 40
out-of-wedlock child bearing, 159–60, 170
“parasite singles,” 96
parent-adolescent relationship, 227n6
parental adjustments. See in accordion families, adjustments in
parental income. See family income/wealth
parent-child relationships: avoiding battles in, 73–74; benefited by adult child living at home, 114, 128, 130–31, 132–33, 197; closeness of baby-boomer and millennial generations, 128; comparison between postwar and baby-boom generations on, 130– 31; friendship between fathers and sons, 132–33; among immigrants, 33–34; in Italy, 101; in Japan, 81; in middle-class accordion families, 63–64, 66–67; in Nordic countries, 161–67; positive, 68; in Spain, 114; supportive, 74–75; in working-class families, 63
parenthood: class differences in entering, 210–11n13; dual-career, 129; as marker of adulthood, 2, 6, 13, 208n5; mean age at first birth, 232–33n2
parents: adult children living at home as benefiting, 131–32; on adulthood, 13–17; Asian, 33; care for aging, 37; Chinese, 213n29; cocooning and helicoptering children, xix; destigmatizing delayed adulthood, 21–22, 24–33; helicopter, 235n16; helping purchase homes for their children, 210n12; unwed, 159–60. See also American parents; baby-boomer parents; baby-boom generation; family; family income/wealth; Italian parents; Japanese parents; postwar parents; Spanish parents
parents in accordion families: advice and guidance from, 68–69; dealing with adult child’s romantic relationships, 76–78; helping with chores and obligations, 65–66; joys and anxieties of, 197; learning new boundaries with in-house adulthood, 71–75; performing role of social secretary, 65–66; understanding of adulthood by, 13–14
part-time employment, xiv, xx; 48
Patel, Asmita, 71
paternity leave, in Sweden, 241–42n11
pension system: drop in fertility rate and, 178–80; freeters relying on money from, 149, 197; in Japan, 60; Nordic countries, 154
People’s Party for Freedom, 184
Petrini, Carl, ix Pew Charitable Trust, 42
Phillips, Stephanie, 13–14, 71–72, 117–18, 120
Piaget, Jean, 211n18
Pill, the, 64–65, 226–27n4
Poland, 47, 173
political activism, of Spanish youth, 107–8, 109–10
politics: of the accordion family in America, 200; of the accordion family in Spain, 104–10
population: aging, 58–61; decrease in European, 178; in Japan, 175. See also demographics; fertility rates
Porta, Juan, 27–28
Portugal, 38, 54, 180; accordion families in, statistics on, 41; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of children being supported by parents in, 221n67; percentage of students in 20–29 age group, 18
postwar parents: vs. baby-boomer parents, 127; of Japan, 91, 96; life course of, 128–29; relationship with their children, 130–31
premarital cohabitation, 211–12n21; in Europe, 232n28, 240n22; in Japan, 55, 229n8; in Nordic countries, 159, 160, 170
premarital sex: throughout history, 226n3; Italian attitudes toward, 228n11; Japanese attitudes toward, 212n26; the Pill and, 226–27n4; in Spain, 212n24
privacy issues, 145–46, 172
private safety nets, xvii–xix, 198
psychological model of adulthood, 5, 13–14, 18–20, 21–22, 35–36
public employees, 196
public safety net, 198, 199. See also government assistance
quinceanera, 207n1
race, unemployment and, 46
Reagan administration, 44
reasons for accordion families. See accordion families, reasons for
recession: of 2010, 45; as cause of accordion families, 42–43. See also Great Recession (2007–2009)
rental housing: in Amsterdam, 107; high cost of European, 49–50; limited supply of, in Spain, 106, 107; in Nordic countries, 106, 159; in the U.S., 50–51, 199
residential independence: in Denmark, 17–19; education’s impact on, 51–52; in Nordic countries, 36, 40, 153, 198; in Spain, 112–13; structural barriers to, xix–xx; in the U.S., 216n17
responsibility: household, by adult children, 64, 70; as marker of adulthood, 14, 20, 21; for work, and adulthood, 2
“Retired Husband Syndrome” (RHS), 151
retirement: delaying of, 130; ratio of working-age adults for every adult in, 217n26; spending savings on college tuition and, 148–49. See also pension system
riots, in Europe, 180, 196
rituals, coming-of-age, 207n1
Rojas, Mauricio, 186–87
Rollo, Janet, xv–xvii
Rollo, John, xv–xvii, 31, 75–76
Rollo, William, xv–xvi, 31–32, 116
Roman Catholic Church, 109
romantic relationships, of adult children in accordion families, 75–77
Roskilde, Denmark, 168
Rossi, Nicola, 100
rules, house, 66
Russia, 178, xv
Sant’Antimo, Italy, 140
Santiago, Gema, 144–45
Sanyo Electric, xiv Sarrazin, Thilo, 185
Sato, Kumi, xi–xiii; 28–29, 81
Saurez, Adolfo, 212n22
Scandinavian countries. See Nordic countries; Northern Europe
Second Demographic Transition, 54
second-generation immigrants, 33
Seijin no Hi festival, 1
self-actualization, 13–14
sexual intercourse, average age of first, 212n24. See also premarital sex
sexual mores: of American vs. European parents, 225–26n1; of current vs. previous generations, 64–65; parental adjustments in accordion families and, 77–78
Shimasawa, Manubu, 47
short-term jobs, 48. See also temporary employment
Silkeborg, Denmark, 164
“silly soup,” 211n19
single women, Japanese, 95
Skype, 45
slacker generation, xviii–xiv, 11
Small, Mario, 109
Smith, Kyesha, 115, 134, 135
social change: accordion families reflecting experience of, 83–84; Americans on, 84; of baby-boomer parents, 139–41, 150–51; beliefs about accordion families and, 84; definition of adulthood and, 23–24; in Japan, as unnatural, 84–86; in marriage patterns, 57–58, 167–70; in premarital sex, 226n3, 227n4; in sexual mores, 64–65, 79
social democracies. See Nordic countries; Northern Europe; welfare states
social policy: European reaction to budget cuts, 196; gender equity in Sweden, 155; Nordic countries, 153–56, 157; welfare systems in Nordic countries, 238n8. See also government assistance
social-security systems, 37, 59, 154, 215n6
social-service budgets, 196
societal issues, Japanese worries about, 81–82, 84–86
Sony, xiii
Southern Europe: attitudes on accordion family in, 101–2; attitudes on immigration assimilation in, 192; education in, 51; housing in, 49–50; Northern Europe compared with, 54, 162, 163–64; percentage of adults living at home in, 41; student residence in, 51; unemployment in, 46. See also Italy; Portugal; Spain
Southern Italy, 101–2
Spain: advantages of in-house adulthood in, 70–71; attitudes toward accordion family in, 104–10; attitudes toward grandparenthood in, 140; attitudes toward immigrants in, 180–81, 182, 192; authoritarian government in, 108–9; average monthly rent in, 49; baby-boom generation on transition to adulthood in, 16; birth rates in, vs. immigrant births, 176; changes in social atmosphere in, 24; destigmatizing delayed adulthood in, 23–24; fertility rates in, 58; gender equality in, 24–25; home ownership in, 50; housing costs in, 27, 49, 111, 112; immigrant births in, 176; immigrant tensions in, 182; jobs going to immigrants in, 180–81; median age of first marriage in, 225n81; national debt in, 236n23; NEETS (“not in education, employment, or training”) in, 47; path to adulthood in, 12–13; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of children being supported by parents in, 221n67; percentage of students in 20–29 age group, 18; politics of accordion families in, 104–10; premarital cohabitation in, 211– 12n21, 232n28; public debate over adults living at home in, 39; ratio of working-age adults to retirees in, 60; rental vs. owner-occupied housing in, 106–7; Roman Catholic Church in, 109; short-term jobs, 48; student housing in, 51, 52; students living away from home in, 52; women’s mean age at first birth in, 233
Spanish Civil War (1936–39), 108
Spanish parents, xxii; adjustments to accordion families, 143–146; attitude toward delayed departure by, 114, 124; on grandparenthood, 140; on intergenerational differences, 23–28; on transition to adulthood, 16
Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, 212n22
Spanish youth: adulthood defined by, 12, 13; attitudes toward accordion families, 110–14; on living with one’s parents, 23–24; political activity of, 107–8, 109–10
Stack, Carol, 63
standard of living: cultural shifts in, 55–56; cultural values and, 44; preferred over independence, xxi, 56
status transitions, 2, 5. See also adulthood, markers of
“stem families,” 55
Stockholm, 40
“storm and stress” during adolescence, 210n11, 227n6
structural forces: education, 51–52; family income and wealth, 52–53; globalization, 45–49; individual acts changing, 230n13; in Italy, 100; in Japan, 97; preventing residential independence, xix–xxi; relationship between cultural values and, 44–45; in Spain, 113–14. See also economy/economics; employment; globalization
student housing: differences in European, 51–52; in Northern Europe, 49; in Sweden, 51, 52, 158; in the U.S., 52
student loan debt, 4, 199
subsidized housing, 49
Supreme Commander of Allied Powers, 86
Suto, Akiro, xii, xv
Sweden: attitude toward immigrants in, 186–87; child bearing in, 159–60; cohabitation in, 211–12n21, 232n28, 240n22; divorce rates in, 230; education in, 220n53; fertility rates in, 58; gender equity in, 155; higher education in, 158; immigration into, 186; impact of globalization on, 153–54; median age of first marriage in, 225n81; money spent on social protection in, 154; national debt in, 236n23; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of students in 20–29 age group, 18; ratio of working-age adults to retirees in, 60; unemployment benefits in, 157–58; unemployment in, 157, 217; women’s mean age at first birth in, 233. See also Nordic countries
Swedish youth: living independently, 36, 40, 51–52; social policy supporting, 154; student housing for, 51, 52, 158–59; understanding of adulthood by, 20–21
Tang, Lucy, 132
Telefónica, Spain, 105, 106
temporary employment, 47, 48
Termina, Alberto, ix, xi, xxi
Termina, Giorgio, x
Termina, Giovanni, ix, xi, xxi, 5–6
Termina, Laura, x
Termina, Maria, ix, xi, xxi
Tessiore, Marina, 176
Tjelden, Mathilda, 164
Tokyo, xi Tortolli, Angela, 102
tourist industry, American, 38
Toyota, xiii
training/work study programs, 158
Trosso, Paolo, 140
Truth of Generational Inequalities, The (Jo), 97
tuition, college. See higher-education costs
unemployment: immigrants and, 181–82, 183–84, 189–90; increase in, for youth, 45–46; intergenerational cohabitation producing higher youth, 98; in Japan, xiv, 47; NEETS (“not in education, employment, or training”) and, 46–47; in Nordic countries, 155; Nordic social policy and, 157; racial differences in, 46; in Spain, 27; statistics, 46, 217; in Sweden, 157; in the U.S., 199
unemployment benefits, 17, 49, 157–58
United Kingdom: divorce rates in, 230; education in, 51, 220n53; NEETS (“not in education, employment, or training”) in, 47; percentage of adults living with parents in, 41; percentage of students in 20–29 age group, 18; population decrease in, 178. See also Northern Europe
United States: the absent father in, 88; adult children living at home in, xvi–xvii; adult children living independently in, 216n17; “American Dream” in, 213n28; anti-immigrant sentiment in, 179–80; attitudes toward accordion families in, 114–20, 124–25; conditions for accordion family in, 199–200; cultural norms in, xxii; divorce rates in, 230; economic support for aging population in, 61; fertility rates in, 58, 178, 200; generational differences in, 31–34; higher-education costs in, 195, 199; home ownership in, 50–51; influence of parental income on home-leaving in, 222–23n68; long-term care of elderly in, 215n6; markers of adulthood in, 208n4; marriage in, 57; median age of first marriage in, 225n81; millennials in, 120–22; out-of-wedlock child bearing in, 160; path to adulthood in, 3–5, 9–10; population growth in, 178; post–World War II, 86; ratio of working-age adults to retirees in, 60; reaction to accordion family in, 82–83; student residence in, 52; unemployment in, 217; wedding customs in, 169–70; women’s mean age at first birth in, 233. See also American accordion families; American parents; American youth
university education. See higher education
USA Today, xiv
U.S. Census Bureau, 42
Valdez, Anna, 112–13
Vejle, Denmark, 164–65
Villa Victoria (Small), 109
vocational education, 158
wages: after college, and residential freedom, 52; with college degrees, 209n8; cultural values on spending, 44; decline in, growth of accordion families and, 37–38, 39; disparities in, in Denmark and Sweden, 154; influencing home-leaving in Europe, 220–21n64, 221–22n67; influencing home-leaving in U.S., 222–23n68; in Nordic countries, 154; source of, for European youth, 221n67. See also family income/wealth
Warren, Jennifer, 64–66
wealth. See family income/wealth
wedding customs, 167–70
welfare states: accordion families in, xix; college tuition and, 149; safety net for families in, 160; unemployment and, 49; universalistic policies, 238n8. See also government assistance; Nordic countries; welfare states, weak
welfare states, weak: accordion families in, 35; economic conditions contributing to accordion family in, 196; impact of social policy in, 155; meaning of accordion family in, 197; reliance on owner-occupied housing in, 106–7. See also Italy; Japan; Spain
“What Is It About 20-Somethings?” (Henig), 23
white-collar workers, xviii, 45. See also middle-class families
“With Words on Muslims, Opening a Door Long Shut” (New York Times article), 185–86
women: caring for aging parents, 37; and comparison of postwar and baby-boomer generations, 128–29; and delaying marriage, 57–58, 229n6; freedom of Japanese, 94–95; higher education of, 209–10n9; independence of, vs. independence of men, 142–43; in Japanese labor force, 208n2; labor market options for, 144; mean age at first birth, 233; opportunities of baby boom, 10; and the Pill, 226–27n4; and wages, 235n19. See also gender differences
women in the workforce: increase in, 37–38; in Japan, 28, 208n2; parental leave in Sweden and, 241–42n11; statistics, 208n3, 209–10n9
work ethic, xii
working-class families, xvii–xviii; adult children living at home in, xvii–xviii; and attitude toward accordion families, 115; and meaning of accordion family, 196–97; and parent-child relationships in, 63; responsibility toward family in Italian, 14–15
work study program, 158
World War II, 44, 57, 63, 64; Japan after, 86–87; Nordic social policy and, 154
Yamada, Masashiro, 96
Yoo, Teddy, 32–33, 73–74
young adulthood, life stage of, 210n11
youth. See adolescence; American youth; Japanese youth; millennial generation; Spanish youth; Swedish youth
Yugoslavia, 33
Zimbabwe, 34